Big ones from the drain, small ones in the kitchen: cockroaches at Outeniqua Strand

Which cockroach have you got? It's the most useful thing to know, because the two common types live in different places and need different treatment. Small, light-brown cockroaches in the kitchen are usually German cockroaches, breeding indoors. Big, reddish-brown ones that appear in the bathroom or come up the drain are usually American cockroaches, living in drains and outside. We treat both at Outeniqua Strand, and we start by working out which it is.

Telling them apart

German cockroaches

Small, roughly the length of a fingernail, light brown with two dark stripes behind the head. They live in warm spots close to food and water: behind the fridge, under the stove, inside the dishwasher housing and in kitchen cupboard hinges. They breed fast and you rarely see them in daylight unless numbers are high.

American cockroaches

Much bigger, reddish brown and able to fly short distances on a warm evening. They live in drains, manholes, garden debris and damp outbuildings, and come inside through floor drains, gaps under doors and open windows.

Why beach houses get them

Outeniqua Strand is a small coastal holiday area, and many of the homes are beachfront holiday houses. That has a particular effect. When a house stands empty, the water in sink and shower traps slowly evaporates, leaving an open pipe from the drain straight into the house. American cockroaches use it. German cockroaches, meanwhile, often arrive with people: in grocery boxes, cooler boxes, second-hand appliances and luggage. A busy holiday kitchen, with crumbs and wet dishcloths, then gives them everything they need.

Coastal humidity helps both kinds. Cockroaches need moisture, and a damp sea-facing house supplies it. If the house is let out over the holidays, each new group of guests brings fresh boxes and bags, so a kitchen that was clean in the off-season can pick up German cockroaches by the end of summer. Owners often only hear about it when a guest mentions it.

How we treat them

1. Inspection. We check kitchens, bathrooms, drains, appliances, cupboards and the outside of the house to find where they're breeding and how they're getting in.
2. Gel baits. For German cockroaches, gel bait is placed in tiny amounts in cracks and hinges where they hide. They feed on it and carry it back to the others, which reaches the cockroaches you never see.
3. Residual sprays. Odourless, non-staining residual sprays go around drains, entry points and the outside of the house, forming a barrier that kills cockroaches as they cross it.
4. Follow-up. An established infestation, especially of German cockroaches, may need a second visit to catch the next hatch.

You don't need to empty the cupboards or leave the house. Once everything's dry, it's safe for children and pets.

A tip for when you lock up

Before you leave the house for a few weeks, put plugs in the basins, bath and sinks, and close the lids on floor drains if they have them. When you come back, run every tap and flush every toilet for a few seconds to refill the traps. It's a two-minute job, and it closes off the route American cockroaches use most in empty beach houses. It also stops drain smells.

The thing people get wrong

Spraying over the gel bait. Store-bought aerosol sprays repel cockroaches and contaminate the bait, so they stop eating it and scatter into new hiding places. If we've baited your kitchen, leave those spots alone and let the bait work. Wiping down counters is fine; spraying the cracks isn't.

What else helps

• Don't leave dishes, pet bowls or wet sponges out overnight.
• Unpack grocery and cooler boxes outside and don't store cardboard in the kitchen.
• Fix dripping taps and leaks under sinks; water matters more to cockroaches than food.
• Clear garden debris and leaf piles away from the walls.

How much will it cost?

It depends on the size of the house, which species we're dealing with, how established they are and whether a follow-up visit is needed. A few American cockroaches wandering in from the drains is usually a quick barrier treatment. A German cockroach infestation throughout a kitchen takes more work. We quote free once we've had a look. If you're only seeing the odd big one in the bathroom now and then, keeping the traps full and plugging the drains may be all you need.

For other pests, see pest control in Outeniqua Strand, or read more about how we handle cockroach control in George.

We're SAPCA registered, have worked in the Garden Route for more than 25 years, and our treatments come with a 3-month guarantee. Call 044 012 5011 when it suits you.